Music Land

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Music Land is a Silly Symphonies Disney short released in 1935.

The Land of Symphony is a classical-themed kingdom, where the princess (an anthromorphicized violin) grows bored with the slow ballroom dancing and sneaks out.

Across the Sea of Discord, the Island of Jazz is alive with hot music and dancing, but the prince (an alto saxophone) takes little interest in it. Sneaking out, he spots the princess across the sea with the aid of a clarinet-telescope. He quickly traverses the sea on a xylophone boat to meet her.

Their flirting is interrupted, however, when the queen of the Land of Symphony sends her guards to lock him in a metronome prison tower. To escape this predicament, he writes a note for help (comprised literally of musical notes) and passes it to a bird, which brings it to his father, who raises the battle cry (a jazzed up version of the military Assembly (bugle call)).

This results in one of the most memorable scenes in cartoons from this era, as the Island of Jazz deploys its multi-piece band as artillery, bombarding the Land of Symphony with explosive musical notes to a jazz/swing number. The Land of Symphony returns fire via organ pipes that rotate into cannons, launching volleys to the refrains of Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries.

The princess intervenes to stop the war, but falls into the sea. The prince manages to escape his cell and rushes to save her, but ends up struggling as well.

Both parents see what is happening, and quickly cease fire to rescue their children. The story ends on a happy note with a double marriage, as the citizens of both lands dance on the newly-built Bridge of Harmony.

The short features music from Beethoven's Eroica and Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries as well as various popular classical, jazz and miscellaneous tunes. The entire short contains no actual speech, but instead communicates meaning with musical tones. Each of the characters 'speaks' with the sound of the particular instrument they are based on.

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